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Maverick (George Thorogood and the Destroyers album)

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Maverick
Studio album by
George Thorogood and the Destroyers
ReleasedJanuary 25, 1985[1]
RecordedJuly 1984
StudioDimension Sound Studios, Boston, Massachusetts
Genre
Length43:34
LabelEMI America
ProducerTerry Manning[2]
George Thorogood and the Destroyers chronology
Bad to the Bone
(1982) 		Maverick
(1985) 		Nadine
(1986)
Singles from Maverick
  1. "Gear Jammer"
    Released: January 1985
  2. "I Drink Alone"
    Released: February 1, 1985
  3. "Willie and the Hand Jive"
    Released: June 1985

Maverick is the sixth studio album by the American blues rock band George Thorogood and the Destroyers. It was released on January 25, 1985 by the label EMI America Records.[2] Some of its songs are among Thorogood's best-known, including "I Drink Alone" and "Willie and the Hand Jive". The album peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard 200 chart.[3][4]

Background

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In 1982, the Destroyers signed a recording contract with EMI America,[5] the same year they released their fifth studio album, Bad to the Bone.[6] The band supported the album with a worldwide concert tour,[7] after which they returned to the United States, picked up their producer, and began recording of Maverick.[8]

Recording

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Recording of the album took place in July of 1984, at the Dimension Sound Studios in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts.[9] The album was produced by Terry Manning,[2][10] who also worked with American rock band ZZ Top.[11] Terry Manning would continue to produce the Destroyers' next several studio albums.[11]

Release

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EMI America released Maverick on January 25, 1985.[1][12] The album debuted at No. 77,[13] and peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard 200 chart.[3][4] Maverick eventually sold more than 500,000 copies.[14] The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on August 5, 1985.[15]

Three tracks from the album were released as singles, "Gear Jammer" was released as the lead single from the album in January 1985.[16][17] The song peaked at No. 26 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[18]

"I Drink Alone" was released in February 1985. It is one of the Destroyer`s best known songs, it is often played live and included on many live and compilation albums.[19] It peaked at number 13 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks.[4][20]

"Willie and the Hand Jive" released in June 1985,[21] is a cover of the Johnny Otis song of the same name. "Willie and the Hand Jive" is the only Destroyers single to reach the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Peaking at number 63.[4][22][23]

Touring and promotion

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Following the release of the album, the Destroyers embarked on the "Maverick" Tour.[24] During the tour, the band also played Live Aid with Bo Diddley and Albert Collins, which they followed up with the second leg of their "Maverick" Tour.[25] The Destroyers played tour dates in Canada, also in support of Maverick.[26]

Two music videos were filmed for songs from Maverick. PMI's George Bloome filmed the black-and-white music video for "I Drink Alone", in a desert near Los Angeles.[27] The music video for "Willie and the Hand Jive" was produced at the Fifth Floor Productions in Cincinnati, Ohio, by Ellen Goldman and Maureen Arata.[28]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[29]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings[30]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues[31]

Maverick received mixed reviews from critics.

Cash Box wrote that Maverick "should please Thorogood’s many fans while set for a long stay on many AOR playlists."[10] AllMusic's Joe Viglione says "George Thorogood is forever consistent and Maverick is more of the blues/rock driving sound the journeyman guitarist is known for."[9] Another AllMusic critic, James Christopher Monger, called "Willie and the Hand Jive" and "I Drink Alone" one of Thorogood's "high points."[32]

Track listing

[edit]
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Gear Jammer"George Thorogood4:33
2."I Drink Alone"George Thorogood4:30
3."Willie and the Hand Jive"Johnny Otis4:01
4."What a Price"Fats Domino, Murphy Maddux, Jack Jessup2:43
5."Long Gone"George Thorogood4:28
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dixie Fried"Carl Perkins, Howard Griffin3:40
2."Crawlin' King Snake"John Lee Hooker4:09
3."Memphis/Marie"Chuck Berry5:58
4."Woman with the Blues"George Thorogood3:30
5."Go, Go, Go" (*)Chuck Berry3:28
6."The Ballad of Maverick"David Buttolph, Paul Francis Webster2:04
Total length:43:34

(*) "Go, Go, Go" is referred to as "(Let's) Go Go Go" on some versions of the album.

Personnel

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The following personnel are credited on the album:

Musicians

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Technical

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Charts

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Chart (1985) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[33] 32
Canada (RPM)[34] 35
New Zealand (RMNZ)[35] 14
US Billboard 200[3] 32

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for Maverick
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[36] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[15] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Billboard Volume 97 No. 22" (PDF). Billboard. June 1, 1985. p. 1 – via World Radio History.
  2. ^ a b c "Maverick Thorogood LP released by EMI America" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 41. February 23, 1985. p. 7 – via World Radio History.
  3. ^ a b c "Billboard 200". Billboard.
  4. ^ a b c d "George Thorogood Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  5. ^ "EMI Pact Gives Thorogood "Best of Both Worlds"" (PDF). Cash Box. June 19, 1982. pp. 8, 14 – via World Radio History.
  6. ^ Giles, Jeff; Wardlaw, Matt. "35 Years Ago: George Thorogood Releases the Career-Defining 'Bad to the Bone'".
  7. ^ "Rock'n'Rolling" (PDF). Billboard. September 4, 1982. p. 61 – via World Radio History.
  8. ^ "Thorogood Down Under" (PDF). Cashbox. March 5, 1983. p. 19 – via World Radio History.
  9. ^ a b Viglione, Joe. "Maverick Review by Joe Viglione". AllMusic.
  10. ^ a b "Cash Box - Feature Picks" (PDF). Cash Box. February 9, 1985. p. 7 – via World Radio History.
  11. ^ a b "Terry Manning Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  12. ^ "The Hard Report - January 22, 1988" (PDF). The Hard Report. No. 62. January 22, 1988. p. 28 – via World Radio History.
  13. ^ "Billboard 200". Billboard.
  14. ^ uDiscover Team (March 8, 2020). "George Thorogood - Prodigiously-Talented Boogie Blues Guitarist". uDiscover Music.
  15. ^ a b "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA.
  16. ^ "Maverick Thorogood LP released by EMI America" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 41. February 23, 1985. p. 7 – via World Radio History.
  17. ^ "The Gavin Report - January 11, 1985" (PDF). The Gavin Report. January 11, 1985. p. 27 – via World Radio History.
  18. ^ "Billboard Volume 97 No. 5" (PDF). Billboard. February 2, 1985. p. 24 – via World Radio History.
  19. ^ "I Drink Alone - George Thorogood | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  20. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "George Thorogood Awards".
  21. ^ "Cash Box - June 15, 1985" (PDF). Cash Box. June 15, 1985. p. 10 – via World Radio History.
  22. ^ '80s Top 100 - T Retrieved 12-8-2013.
  23. ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard.
  24. ^ "Cash Box - May 11,1985" (PDF). Cash Box. May 11, 1985. p. 35 – via World Radio History.
  25. ^ "Cash Box - August 2, 1985" (PDF). Cash Box. August 2, 1985. p. 13 – via World Radio History.
  26. ^ "Thorogood & Destroyers on tour" (PDF). RPM. April 13, 1985. p. 8 – via World Radio History.
  27. ^ "Billboard - March 9, 1985" (PDF). Billboard. March 9, 1985. p. 42 – via World Radio History.
  28. ^ "Billboard - August 24, 1985" (PDF). Billboard. August 24, 1985. p. 62 – via World Radio History.
  29. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r20115
  30. ^ Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. p. 653. ISBN 978-0-140-51384-4.
  31. ^ The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues. Virgin. 1998. p. 346.
  32. ^ Monger, James Christopher. "George Thorogood Platinum Review".
  33. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 309. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  34. ^ "Item: 8463 - Library and Archives Canada". Library and Archives Canada.
  35. ^ "New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz.
  36. ^ "Canadian album certifications – George Thorogood – Maverick". Music Canada.
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